Review: Breakfast at Giraffe

UK “world music family restaurant” chain, Giraffe, recently invited Londonist over to sample the breakfast menu at their Marylebone location (6-8 Blandford Street, W1U 4AU). It's a pleasant place: nice lightning, comfy seats. We certainly wouldn’t be averse to going back (we’d downright welcome an opportunity if only they offered free WiFi). However, this was our first visit to a Giraffe. The faces-of-smiling-"ethnic-people"-as-wallpaper was a tad hokey for our sensibilities. Further, walled slogans such as "eat together, live forever" made us cringe a little. And (while we’re at it), we never really got Giraffe’s "global burgers" concept either. Is that just a high falutin’ name for a meatball or merely a reference to world beef consumption and its role in global warming? Whatever, we weren't there for the décor or the burgers.

We were there for the breakfast which we enjoyed. The smoothies were spot on. The coffee was commendable. The pancakes (£5.95) ooh the massive stack o’ banana and blueberry pancakes with maple syrup were utterly awesome. As for the huevos rancheros (£6.95), they were too deconstructed and prettified - inoffensive and ample but not terribly flavourful. While the eggs Benedict (£6.95) looked pretty rockin’, other nearby dishes, such as eggs on foccacia (£3.95), appeared mediocre at best.

According to some gathered up promo materials, giraffes have the largest hearts of all animals. We reckon that has something to do with why this long-necked beast was chosen as the totem for this resto chain. We certainly got a sense that the staff at Blandfod Street were of the big hearted variety. Service was attentive and above average for Central London.

Brekkie at Giraffe? It’s a hit or miss affair with the hits adding up to a more than respectable net positive experience. Visit them online at www.giraffe.net.